there is constant debate in church circles over whether various teachings or practices are “of God.” This is always an either/or argument because of the dominance of black-and-white thinking. For safety’s sake, much is then relegated to being “of the world” and thus discredited. Consequently alternatives are cut off and rich human knowledge lost — most of science, social science, the arts and humanities. The true believer, then, is to trust neither inner guidance nor any information from the environment. Conveniently for the Church, this paranoia leaves the person as vulnerable in the hands of
...more
